Society

Fireworks were set off simultaneously at five locations across Hanoi at 11.45 pm on December 31 to mark the New Year 2026.

Crowds poured into central areas of major cities across Vietnam, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to welcome the New Year 2026.

Vietnam has appointed four more army officers to serve in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and Europe, reinforcing its growing and increasingly professional role in global peace operations.

Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi will reopen to two way traffic on January 1, 2026, after nearly two months of repairs aimed at improving safety on the historic crossing over the Red River.

Doctors in Hanoi saved the life of a foreign man who suffered sudden cardiac arrest while playing pickleball, after he collapsed at a hospital gate and was resuscitated under an emergency protocol.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction has reaffirmed plans to break ground on the north-south high speed railway by the end of 2026, despite Vingroup’s decision to withdraw its investment proposal.

The northern city of Haiphong plans to expand its area by over 5,600 ha by 2030 through land reclamation to support industry, services, logistics and coastal tourism.

Vietnamese victims have lost nearly VND 40 trillion (about USD 1.6 billion) to more than 24,000 online scams since 2020.

Vietnam Airlines has adjusted flight routes to and from Taiwan and north-east Asia after authorities imposed temporary airspace restrictions over parts of Taiwan, to ensure flight safety.

Vietnam recorded 74 cases of food poisoning in the first 11 months of the year, affecting 1,588 people and causing 19 deaths, the Ministry of Health said.

Ho Chi Minh City has opened its first pilot dedicated lane for cyclists, aiming to improve urban road safety after more than two months of construction.

Police in Ha Tinh have arrested five people accused of smuggling counterfeit cigarettes made in Cambodia into Vietnam for sale, seizing tens of thousands of packs worth hundreds of millions of dong.

Hung Yen Province is seeking public feedback on a coastal tourism complex covering more than 800 hectares.

Ho Chi Minh City will waive fares on buses and Metro Line 1 on January 1, 2026, as authorities seek to meet surging travel demand and ease congestion during New Year celebrations.

Amid rapid urbanisation and a rising vehicle density, Ho Chi Minh City has identified transport as one of the major emission sources that requires priority control.

Ho Chi Minh City is entering a period of rapid population ageing, creating an urgent need to strengthen and expand its long-term care system for the elderly.

As traditional growth engines lose steam, HCM City is reshaping its long-term strategy to find new drivers that can sustain momentum and cement its role as the southern economic hub.

Hanoi authorities have set deadlines to completely remove illegal street markets and spontaneous roadside trading points that encroach on roads and pavements. officers

At least nine people were killed when a passenger bus carrying a charity group from Hanoi overturned in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on Saturday morning.